Nature Mastery
Nature Mastery is one of the 18 different Retorts available for customizing and empowering Wizards in Master of Magic. This Retort provides many bonuses to a Wizard specializing in magic: It reduces the Research Cost and Casting Cost of spells by 15%, and makes the Wizard's Enchantments twice as hard to dispel. Additionally, the wizard obtains twice as much from each Nature Node he controls. This retort costs 1 pick, and requires the Wizard to have at least Spellbooks. Description Studying the spells associated with is one thing, and having a true affinity to the is quite another. It is not always enough to have knowledge of this type of magic, some wizards actually tap directly into the Nature Realm to draw their power, and become masters of its secret arts. The Nature Master has made such a connection, and therefore finds it easier to manipulate Nature Magic in all its forms. Spellcasting becomes easier, and the study of new spells from this realm comes naturally and effortlessly. Furthermore, as the Nature Master's spells have a stronger bond to the Nature Realm, those spells become much harder to break. Whenever a Nature Master locates and liberates a Nature Node, this literal aperture into the can be exploited much more readily, expanded and utilized to release a truly vast amount of magical energy - which the Nature Master has no problem absorbing. These focal points become an important strategic asset in the wizard's quest for domination. Effect Nature Mastery is one of the color-specific Retorts available in Master of Magic. Any Wizard possessing this Retort receives four special benefits that will positively affect her for the duration of the game. Improved Research The Nature Master has a much easier time studying spells of all kinds. Whenever the wizard is Researching any , the amount of he accumulates each turn is increased by 15%. For example, a Nature Master who normally gets every turn will get if he is researching a spell. This bonus is cumulative with a similar bonus rewarded for having 8 or more Spellbooks in the . For example, a wizard with and Nature Mastery gets a bonus (15% from Nature Mastery, 30% from the Spellbooks). Casting Cost Reduction Furthermore, the Nature Master has a reduction of 15% on the Casting Cost of all spells belonging to the . This allows the wizard to cast more spells in combat, and allows faster casting on the overland map. Also, if the wizard uses mostly or only spells, the saved due to these lower costs could be quite significant. Enchantments Harder to Dispel Any and all -related Enchantments cast by the Nature Master are 50% harder to dispel, regardless of which spell the enemy is using to make that dispelling attempt (Dispel Magic, Disjunction, etcetera). For example, if an enemy dispelling attempt of a certain strength would normally have a 50% chance to dispel a certain spell, it would only have a 25% of success if the targeted spell belongs to a Nature Master. This makes it far easier to keep Global Enchantments in place, but also helps prevent the enemy from removing other important Enchantments, especially during battle. Nature Node Power Outputs Finally, any Nature Node that is under the control of the Nature Master will generate twice as much as it would for other wizards. This applies only to Nature Nodes; other nodes generate the normal amount of . The bonus applies only while the Nature Master is in control of the node: if he loses control to another Wizard, the node will resume generating the normal amount of . Nature Mastery together with the Node Mastery Retort provide double the bonus. In such a case, a Nature Node would provide 4x its base power output - potentially up to 100 per node on the Myrran plane! Costs and Prerequisites When creating a new Wizard, it is only possible to pick the Nature Mastery Retort if the wizard already possesses at least Spellbooks. Otherwise, this retort is not available. The wizard may have any combination of other spellbooks or retorts beyond this required minimum. The Nature Mastery Retort consumes 1 pick. This means that a Nature Master cannot have Spellbooks at the start of the game, and thus is trading the benefits of having that many spellbooks for the benefits listed above. Of course, you may still acquire extra spellbooks during the game, but that is not guaranteed. Nature Master may be acquired during the game, as Treasure. If the Strategy Guide is to be believed, the Nature Mastery Retort may be awarded even if the player does not meet the requirements that apply during wizard creation. Strategy The Nature Master has a strong affinity with spells, and can cast them quickly and often - thus potentially being able to wreak a lot of destruction and summon plenty of Fantastic Creatures to his aid. Enchantments cast by this Wizard are very difficult to dispel, meaning that he has more incentive to try to cast as many of them as he can afford. The extra from Nature Nodes will help pay for the Upkeep Cost of these units and Enchantments. As mentioned above, starting with Nature Mastery means that you cannot have Spellbooks. This means trading away the bonuses bestowed by starting with 11 spellbooks in one color - i.e. picking guaranteed Uncommon and Rare Spells, and a discount on the Research cost for Spell of Mastery - but you get the bonuses listed above instead. Category:Retorts